Kids enjoy the splash pad at Lake George on Wednesday during Summertime by George! in St. Cloud. / Stacy Thacker, sthacker@stcloudtimes.com

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Melting red Popsicles dripped onto the grass and smoke streamed out of grills Wednesday afternoon during the Summertime by George! Fourth of July celebration.

The 12-week music festival on Wednesdays has become a centerpiece in the community and, despite the midweek holiday, the St. Cloud Rotary Club decided to stick to its schedule.

“We thought, ‘Why not? We have nothing to lose,’ ” said Drew Hultgren, St. Cloud Rotary Club president. “It draws people into the community and gives them a reason to stick around for the fireworks show.”

Although Summertime By George! usually starts with special events at 5:15 p.m., Hultgren said the Fourth of July event was moved to 3:30 p.m. so it wouldn’t interfere with the St. Cloud Municipal Band concert or other festivities planned as part of the holiday celebration.

Slip Twister’s performance was expected to conclude at about 7 p.m., and a free shuttle was available to transport people from Lake George to Hester Park for the municipal band concert and fireworks show. Tim Wensman, past president of the Rotary club, said the shuttle was paid for with leftover funds from when Summertime by George! was rained out a few weeks ago.

“We wanted it to be a community event that people could include in their plans for the Fourth, and that’s why we provided the shuttle,” Wensman said.

Julie Trost said she and her husband wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July with a family-oriented activity without having to fight the crowds at the fireworks show. As children in bright bathing suits scampered through the water, Trost said the splash pad was also appealing, especially for her two sons.

“We weren’t even sure if Summertime By George! was scheduled today, but then we looked online and it was,” she said. “We decided to come because we thought there would be less people.”

Bonnie Ernst and her husband, Michael, sat listening to Slip Twister at a picnic table while their two children took turns soaking each other on the splash pad. Ernst said she had first heard Slip Twister at the Red Carpet during her college days, and when she saw they were performing at Summertime by George! she and her husband planned their Fourth of July Celebration at Lake George so she could see them again.

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“Afterward we are going to Hester Park to watch the fireworks show,” she said. “It’s too hot or else we might have stayed all day so we are going home in-between to eat dinner and cool off.”

Even though St. Cloud set a July Fourth record temperature of 97 degrees, Summertime By George! still drew a sizable crowd — including Mayor Dave Kleis — that sought the comfort of shade on the edge of the park.

Kleis said he had also participated in the St. Joseph Lions Fourth of July Parade, and Summertime by George! was his afternoon activity before he attended the municipal band concert and fireworks show. The fireworks show is a longtime tradition, and Kleis said Summertime by George! is an event that fits with St. Cloud’s traditions.

“It’s the Fourth, it’s obviously a celebration of independence but it’s also our nation’s birthday and at a birthday you celebrate with family, friends and community,” Kleis said.

Even though it was the middle of the week and the hottest Fourth of July on record, Kleis said it was important to find a positive aspect in every situation and the crowd celebrating at the park was a sign of the importance of the holiday.